1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to mounting systems for magnetic disk drives, and more particularly to an independent suspension mounting system allowing 3.5-inch industry standard disk drives to be mounted in any orientation within a cabinet enclosure.
2. Description Of The Related Art
Magnetic disk storage devices are becoming increasingly susceptible to problems arising from vibration and shock and from uneven securing or clamping forces. As disk drive technology follows a continuing trend towards increased data storage capacity while disk size is kept within standardized dimensions, even minuscule displacements due to mechanical perturbations or localized stresses can cause errors in disk write and read operations. Also, the prevalence of portable computers such as lap-tops, and the increasing use of computers installed in moving vehicles and transportable platforms have imposed demanding mounting requirements to protect disk drives against vibration and shock. It is to be understood that the terms "disk drive" and "disk" are used synonymously herein.
One example of an industry standard disk drive comprises the 3.5-inch DEC Corporation model DSP3210 disk drives. In order to allow a vibration damping mechanism built-in by the disk manufacturer to be fully effective, each disk must be mounted so that if subjected while in operation to shock (up to 10 G peak half-sine and 10 msec duration (3-axes)) or vibration (22-500 Hz @ 0.5 G peak), its displacement in any direction ("drive envelope sway space") does not exceed 0.050 inch. During shipping, pre-installed disks must withstand the shock of a 30-inch drop and multiple bounces, and vibration up to 5-300 Hz @ 1.03 G rms. Disks also must be easily removable for replacement or upgrading.
The industry standard for drives incorporating a 3.5-inch disk is a generally rectangular box 5.75 inches long, 4.00 inches wide, and 1.63 inches high. The DSP3210 drive includes an H-shaded mounting bracket rigidly at attached to the top surface of the box. Consequently, any mounting device must accommodate these "form factor" dimensions and include an interface compatible with the bracket.
Examples of techniques for securely mounting such disk drives can be found in the prior art. However, such techniques are often costly to produce and time-consuming to assemble. Also, such techniques often do not meet the above-cited shock and vibration specifications for operating and shipping environments. Moreover, such techniques rarely provide 0.050-inch of clearance on all sides, so that the disk drives are at risk to damage from collisions with enclosure walls.